The central concern of this thesis is the study of non-equilibrium behaviour in magnetic materials and its interpretation within the framework of the Preisach model of hysteresis. Comprehensive experimental characterizations of the field and temperature and time dependence of a suite of standard magnetic response functions have been performed on a variety of magnetic materials, including a naturally occurring mineral of nanodimensional titanomagnetite particles embedded in volcanic glass, a compressed powder of nanodimensional magnetite particles immobilized in an organic binder, a thin film of nanodimensional Fe particles embedded in alumina, and a series of sintered, bond-disordered CaxSr1-xRuO3 ferromagnets. The measurements were compared with numerical simulations based on a model Preisach ensemble of thermally activated two-level subsystems, characterized individually by a double well free energy profile in a two-dimensional configuration space, an elementary moment reversal, a dissipation field and a bias field, and characterized collectively by a distribution of these characteristic fields. Our efforts were concentrated on two principal spheres of investigation. (1) By performing detailed numerical simulations of the relaxation response of model Preisach collections of two-level subsystems under the same field and temperature protocols used to probe experimentally the relaxation dynamics of spin glasses, we have been able to show that aging, memory and rejuvenation effects are ubiquitous features of all materials which possess a broad distribution of free energy barriers which block the approach to thermal equilibrium. (2) We propose a general strategy for isolating and quantifying the two principal mechanisms, thermal fluctuations and barrier growth, which are jointly responsible for shaping the measured temperature dependence of the magnetic properties of all magnetic materials which exhibit a history dependent response to an external field excitation, and is based on the analysis of viscosity isotherms and, in particular, on a plot of T ln(tr/0) versus Ha , where tr is the time at which a viscosity isotherm measured in a field Ha at temperature T reverses sign. When thermal activation dominates barrier growth, this plot will yield a universal curve while, in the opposite limit the plot fractures into a family of isothermal curves. The strategy is applied to the analysis of each magnetic material listed above.

The analysis, verification and emulation of attitude control hardware for nanosatellite spacecraft is described. The overall focus is on hardware that pertains to a multitude of missions currently under development at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies - Space Flight Laboratory. The requirements for these missions push the boundaries of what is currently the accepted performance level of attitude control hardware. These new performance envelopes demand new acceptance test methods which must verify the performance of the attitude control hardware. In particular, reaction wheel and hysteresis rod actuators are the focus. Results of acceptance testing are further employed in post spacecraft integration for hardware emulation. This provides for a reduced mission cost as a function of reduced spare hardware. The overall approach provides a method of acceptance testing to new performance envelopes with the benefit of cost reduction with hardware emulation for simulations during post integration.

The analysis, verification and emulation of attitude control hardware for nanosatellite spacecraft is described. The overall focus is on hardware that pertains to a multitude of missions currently under development at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies - Space Flight Laboratory. The requirements for these missions push the boundaries of what is currently the accepted performance level of attitude control hardware. These new performance envelopes demand new acceptance test methods which must verify the performance of the attitude control hardware. In particular, reaction wheel and hysteresis rod actuators are the focus. Results of acceptance testing are further employed in post spacecraft integration for hardware emulation. This provides for a reduced mission cost as a function of reduced spare hardware. The overall approach provides a method of acceptance testing to new performance envelopes with the benefit of cost reduction with hardware emulation for simulations during post integration.

Recent advances in power electronics have lead to the wide spread adoption of advanced power supplies and energy efficient devices. This has lead to increased levels of harmonic currents in power systems, degrading the performance of electrical machinery and interfering with telecommunication services. Active filters provide a solution to these problems by compensating for the distorted currents drawn by non-linear loads. Optimal methods for controlling these active filters have been determined by computer simulation and experimental implementation. Methods used for isolating the harmonic content of an unbalanced three phase load current were compared by computer simulations. A technique based on the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) was developed as part of this work and shown to perform favourably. Notch Filtering, Sinusoidal Subtraction, Instantaneous Reactive Power Theory, Synchronous Reference Frame and Fast Fourier Transform methods were simulated. The methods shown to be suitable for compensation of three phase unbalanced loads were implemented in a Digital Signal Processor to evaluate true performance. These methods were Notch Filtering, Sinusoidal Subtraction, Fast Fourier Transform, and a High Pass Filter based method. A completely digital hysteresis current controller for a three phase active filter inverter has been developed and implemented with a Field Programmable Gate Array. This controller interfaces directly to a digital signal processor and is resistant to electromagnetic interference. Results from the experimental hardware verified that the active filter model used for simulation is accurate, and may be used for further development of harmonic isolation methods. A technique using notch filtering gives the best performance for steady loads, with the FFT based technique giving the most flexible operation for a range of load current characteristics. Novel use of the FFT based harmonic isolation technique allows selective cancellation of individual harmonics, with particular application to multiple shunt filters connected in parallel.

NiTiHf high temperature shape memory alloys are attractive due to their high operating temperatures (>100 oC) and acceptable transformation strain compared to NiTi. However, NiTiHf has limitations due to their lack of ductility and low strength, resulting in poor shape memory properties. In this study, Pd has been added to NiTiHf alloys in an attempt to improve their shape memory behavior. A combined approach of quaternary alloying and precipitation strengthening was used. The characterization of a Ni45.3Ti29.7Hf20Pd5 (at. %) polycrystalline alloy was performed in compression after selected aging treatments. Transmission electron microscopy was used to reveal the precipitation characteristics. Differential scanning calorimetry, load-biased (constant stress) thermal cycling experiments and isothermal stress cycling (superelasticity) tests were utilized to investigate the effects of aging temperature and time. The crystal structure and lattice parameters were determined from X-ray diffraction analysis. Significant improvement in the shape memory properties of Ni45.3Ti29.7Hf20Pd5 was obtained through precipitation strengthening. The effects of chemical composition (effects of Hf content replacing with Ti) on the shape memory properties of NiTiHfPd alloys were also revealed. Orientation dependence of the shape memory properties in aged Ni45.3Ti29.7Hf20Pd5 single crystals were investigated along the [111], [011] and [-117] orientations. The shape memory properties were determined to be strong functions of orientation and aging condition. A perfect superelastic behavior (with no irrecoverable strain) with 4.2 % recoverable compressive strain was obtained in the solutionized condition at stress levels as high as 2.5 GPa while 2 % shape memory strain under a bias stress of 1500 MPa was possible in an aged [111] oriented single crystal. A mechanical hysteresis of 1270 MPa at -30 oC, which is the largest mechanical hysteresis that the authors are aware of in the SMA literature, was observed along the [111] orientation. Finally, thermodynamic analyses were conducted to reveal the relationships between microstructure (e.g. precipitate size and interparticle distances) and martensitic transformations in Ni45.3Ti29.7Hf20Pd5 SMAs. Precipitate characteristics were found to be effective on the elastic energies for nucleation, propagation with dissipation energy and these energies influenced the TTs and the constant stress shape memory properties in Ni45.3Ti29.7Hf20Pd5 alloys.

The central concern of this thesis is the study of non-equilibrium behaviour in magnetic materials and its interpretation within the framework of the Preisach model of hysteresis. Comprehensive experimental characterizations of the field and temperature and time dependence of a suite of standard magnetic response functions have been performed on a variety of magnetic materials, including a naturally occurring mineral of nanodimensional titanomagnetite particles embedded in volcanic glass, a compressed powder of nanodimensional magnetite particles immobilized in an organic binder, a thin film of nanodimensional Fe particles embedded in alumina, and a series of sintered, bond-disordered CaxSr1-xRuO3 ferromagnets. The measurements were compared with numerical simulations based on a model Preisach ensemble of thermally activated two-level subsystems, characterized individually by a double well free energy profile in a two-dimensional configuration space, an elementary moment reversal, a dissipation field and a bias field, and characterized collectively by a distribution of these characteristic fields. Our efforts were concentrated on two principal spheres of investigation. (1) By performing detailed numerical simulations of the relaxation response of model Preisach collections of two-level subsystems under the same field and temperature protocols used to probe experimentally the relaxation dynamics of spin glasses, we have been able to show that aging, memory and rejuvenation effects are ubiquitous features of all materials which possess a broad distribution of free energy barriers which block the approach to thermal equilibrium. (2) We propose a general strategy for isolating and quantifying the two principal mechanisms, thermal fluctuations and barrier growth, which are jointly responsible for shaping the measured temperature dependence of the magnetic properties of all magnetic materials which exhibit a history dependent response to an external field excitation, and is based on the analysis of viscosity isotherms and, in particular, on a plot of T ln(tr/0) versus Ha , where tr is the time at which a viscosity isotherm measured in a field Ha at temperature T reverses sign. When thermal activation dominates barrier growth, this plot will yield a universal curve while, in the opposite limit the plot fractures into a family of isothermal curves. The strategy is applied to the analysis of each magnetic material listed above.

The research presented in this thesis is a contribution to the modeling and understanding of the dynamic behavior of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). A time-dependent, two-phase non-isothermal model of the membrane electrode assembly was developed and implemented using the finite element method. In addition to solving a phenomenological transport equation for water in the membrane, the model takes into consideration the non-equilibrium water sorption to better capture some of the dynamic characteristics of water transport in the MEA. Mass transfer using Fickian diffusion is implemented in the model. Two different models describing the electrochemical reactions in the catalyst layer including a macro-homogeneous model and an agglomerate model, are also implemented. Conservation of energy is included in the solution procedure in order to assess the impact of thermal effects on the dynamics of the transport in the MEA. For the purpose of model and concept validation, the model was first solved in a steady two-dimensional mode for a through- plane computational domain using a commercial software package, COMSOL Multiphysics version 3.2b. The impact of using a single- and two-phase modeling approaches was evaluated, and the predicted current-voltage performance characteristic are found in good agreement with the experimental data available in the literature. In addition, the developed model was benchmarked against a finite element-based in-house code for further validation and to evaluate numerical accuracy and computational performance. Transient simulations of operation under dynamic voltage sweeps are presented, and parametric studies are conducted to investigate the impact of various model, operation and transport properties on the predicted dynamic cell performance. In particular, the rate of load change, the difference in water content between the anode and cathode, and the water sorptions rate are shown to have significant impact on cell performance in unsteady operation, especially at higher current densities. Parametric studies also address the sensitivity of the model results to physical properties, highlighting the importance of accurately determining certain physical properties of the fuel cell components. Finally, the application of the model to air-breathing fuel cells provides further insight into the dynamic performance characteristic of such type of fuel cells.

Thesis (Ph.D.); Submitted to Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (US); 19 Dec 2004. / Published through the Information Bridge: DOE Scientific and Technical Information. "IS-T 2309" Mangui Han. US Department of Energy 12/19/2004. Report is also available in paper and microfiche from NTIS.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:06:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SheilaBG_DISSERT.pdf: 1652158 bytes, checksum: ad653b0a72284122fdd7e2e051380eb2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-04-23 / Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte / In this study barium hexaferrite was (general formulae BaFe12O19) was synthesized by the Pechini method under different conditions of heat treatment. Precursors like barium carbonate and iron nitrate were used. These magnetic ceramic, with magnetoplumbite type structure, are widely used as permanent magnet because of its excellent magnetic properties, such as: high Curie temperature, good magnetic anisotropy, high coercivity and corrosion resistance. The samples were characterized by thermal analysis (DTA and TG), X- ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) end Vibrating sample Magnetometer (VSM). The results confirm the expected phase, which was reinforced according to our analysis. A single phase powder at relatively high temperatures with particle sizes around 100 nm was obtained. The characteristic magnetic behavior one of the phases has been noted (probably superparamagnetic material), while another phase was identified as a ferrimagnetic material. The ferrimagnetic phase showed vortex configuration with two central and slightly inclined plateaus. In general, increase of heat treatment temperature and time, directly influenced the technological properties of the samples / Neste trabalho foi sintetizado o composto da Hexaferrita de B?rio de f?rmula geral BaFe12O19, preparado pelo m?todo Pechini (sob diferentes condi??es de tratamento t?rmico), utilizando-se como precursores o carbonato de b?rio e o nitrato de ferro. Estes materiais cer?micos magn?ticos, com estrutura do tipo magnetoplumbita, s?o amplamente utilizados como magnetos permanentes, devido as suas excelentes propriedades magn?ticas, tais como: alta temperatura de Curie, boa anisotropia magn?tica, alta coercividade e resist?ncia ? corros?o. As amostras obtidas foram caracterizadas pelas t?cnicas: An?lises T?rmicas (DTA e TG), Difra??o de raios-X (DRX), Espectroscopia de absor??o na regi?o do infravermelho (FTIR), Microscopia Eletr?nica de Varredura (MEV) e Magnet?metro Vibracional (VSM). Os resultados mostraram a fase desejada, onde foi intensificada de acordo com as an?lises realizadas, resultando na obten??o de um p? monof?sico nas temperaturas relativamente altas com tamanhos de part?culas em torno de 100 nm. Os materiais possuem fases de comportamento magn?tico caracter?stico, provavelmente de um material superparamagn?tico e outro ferrimagn?tico que em temperaturas mais elevadas apresentaram uma configura??o de v?rtice, com dois plat?s centrais com pequenas inclina??es. De modo geral, os aumentos da temperatura de tratamento t?rmico e do tempo, influenciaram diretamente nas propriedades tecnol?gicas das amostras

Orientador: Falcondes Jose Mendes de Seixas / Banca: Carlos Alberto Canesin / Banca: Luiz Carlos Gomes de Freitas / Resumo: Este trabalho propõe um novo conversor CA-CC trifásico de múltiplos pulsos com estágios CC-CC elevadores de tensão controlados pela técnica de histerese constante. Nesta proposta não são empregados indutores de interfase. A finalidade deste conversor é a de possibilitar um barramento CC regulado para aplicações embarcadas, acionamentos elétricos e afins, sempre com preocupações relacionadas aos aspectos de Qualidade de Energia Elétrica. Assim, a proposta deve apresentar elevado fator de potência, baixa distorção harmônica total de corrente drenada da rede elétrica. Ampla revisão bibliográfica, reunindo as propostas mais recentes da literatura para conversores com mesma finalidade, é feita para que sejam estudadas as estruturas de potência, técnicas de controle, versatilidade, possibilidade de isolamento galvânico e robustez. Em seguida, é detalhada a proposta principal deste trabalho por meio da apresentação do equacionamento do autotransformador, dos estágios elevadores de tensão e da técnica de controle. Esta análise permite que sejam feitas simulações com todos os elementos do conversor CA-CC e então, se desenvolva o projeto físico dos elementos magnéticos e se escolham os componentes eletrônicos do protótipo. O número reduzido de componentes de controle e a simplicidade dos circuitos de potência são grandes atrativos da proposta discutida. Todas as informações relevantes são descritas detalhadamente e, sempre que possível, meios alternativos de solucionar problemas são também apresentados, de forma que fiquem claras as possibilidades de melhoria da técnica empregada. A operação conjunta de todos os elementos mais a técnica de controle foi validada, de maneira que se comprovou, por meio de ensaios, todos os princípios de funcionamento da proposta de conversor CA-CC. Pelos resultados experimentais, obteve-se corrente drenada... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This work proposes a new AC-DC three-phase multipulse converter with DC-DC boost stages and constant hysteresis control. The objective of this converter is to provide a reliable DC bus for on-board applications, electric motor drives and similars, always considering power quality issues. Thus, the proposal presents high power factor and low harmonic distortions in the currents from the mains. A wide revision is made on other recent proposals found in the scientific literature. Different topologies are compared considering power circuits, control techniques, isolation possibility and robustness. The second chapter presents the details on the main proposal of this work and also the mathematical equations that describe the autotransformer, boost converters and control strategy. Later, simulation results are commented and discussed and the physical design is detailed. The output filter elements, power components and control elements are specified. Experimental results including main waveforms, efficiency, voltage regulation and temperature rise are presented for the autotransformer. The boost stages are also tested and its results are discussed. Finally, the proposed AC-DC converter is tested and the control technique applied to the power stage is validated / Mestre